The Yankees will need to find a replacement for catcher Russell Martin, who signed a $17 million, two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.

Written by

Chad Jennings
| Staff Writer

Seven years ago, with Bernie Williams near the end of his career and no proven alternative on the roster, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman went on record saying bench player Bubba Crosby was the favorite to be the team's starting center fielder.

A month later, the Yankees signed Johnny Damon and Crosby was out of the organization within a year.

On Friday, Cashman was again setting low expectations, begging the question: Have the Yankees changed enough for us to believe him this time? ...